Dog Park Discussion

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

If you have time today check out this discussion ...lots of interesting comments being made. You can add your 2 cents as well.

http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/lets-talk-dog-parks-love-em-or-hat...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Unless I am meeting with other doodles for a romp, I just don't want to go.  Even though, Spud seems to be lonely at times and would really like a good romping dog to play with, I just have to say no to the parks.

At first, like this author, they seemed so much fun.  An ideal situation for many of us.  But I have been to the vet twice because of attacks by other dogs at the parks.

I'm lucky I did not end up in an ER myself from really nasty owners who just become aggressive when you ask them to pull off their dog, from your dogs neck!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

I have a friend who has 2 ACD's, she goes EVERY morning to BowWow Beach. They love it, but they also go when it's low traffic and they practically "own" the park.

Daisy does not "play" with other dogs there, she "plays" with us and her chuck it ball. What I liked about the park was it gave her a chance to swim other than that it was just a huge mess.Sand, dirt and frankly the water is questionable to me. It required a bath every time and as you all know it's not fun bathing a 70# doodle for her or us.

The reason I wanted to go was for her to have freedom to run and socialize...we can do that in our own back yard, so we invite friends and stay home and do that. I would however like to find a lake she could swim in, she really enjoys that.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I have wanted to find a lake like that myself because my dogs won't go further than their knees, if that, in the ocean on the rare occasions we get there. I know of one lake, where the dogs are really not allowed, but many people let their dogs swim. I am not up for a hike up steep trails, with two dogs, to get there though : ( The dogs don't miss what they don't know, right?

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Daisy truly loves the swim...best case for us would be my own little lake in my own big back yard, but I was not the Mega Millions Winner (not that I bought a ticket). LOL

I think Daisy really doesn't care, it is all my issue.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Don't despair, I think having a lake in the yard would be such a constant dog mess that if I had one I might need to fence it off. Right now I am eagerly awaiting the predicted rain. We are bone dry here although things look lush because of last years overabundant rain.

[Pat and Traveler]

Happy to send you some rain, F.  We've had the rainiest March EVER...this weekend is supposed to be nice, though.  :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Isn't it always too much or too little?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I wonder if you do not take her ball, would she play?  I know Spud finds one of the many tennis balls there, but I don't bring his balls into that park.  It causes fights.  I saw a really bad one when a man walked in the park with a Frisbee.

We only go there off hours and weekdays.  It is a great park.  On that note, see the romp information posted in the Ohio Group

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

When we go without a ball she does not know what to do! Again, if there wasn't a certain group of owners just hanging out by the entrance and picnic tables not watching their dogs we would have no issues. She tends to nervous bark others off and sometimes that comes off as aggressive. We take the ball to keep her focused. Basically nothing good for any of us.

However, getting there when there are less people as in a Friday, and it has to be earlier, is a very good idea. Daisy has always been an only dog so she is fine being an only. I just like getting together with other doodle owners when it's feasible and that is mostly for me. :0)

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

:)  yep

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't ever take Jack to traditional dog parks. We've gone twice in 6 years, and it never seemed like fun, to JD or to me. Even though I have a fenced yard, it is nowhere near big enough for him to really run, so we go to the forest preserves when possible. Hundreds of acres, room to run, hike, play ball, swim, and no crowds of people or dogs, except at the entrances. When that isn't possible (it's a long drive and this is Chicago), we have found a soccer field which is never used on weekdays. While the entire field is not fenced, it is not adjacent to any streets or parking areas, and Jack isn't going anywhere anyway. He's 7 years old, his recall is good, he's extremely bonded to me, and if there's a tennis ball there, he isn't interested in anything else anyway. I do keep a long line (20 feet) on him, just in case.

I know that for  many people, dog parks are the only opportunity their dogs get to run outdoors off-leash. That's an important and valid reason to go to a dog park. But it does seem to me that many people go to the dog park to visit with other dog owners and not really to spend time exercising their dogs. Whatever the reason for going to a dog park, if people are sitting or standing in one place chatting with other owners, and not staying near their dogs, they're doing it wrong, even if the dogs are involved in interactions with other dogs and ignoring their owners. In fact, when dogs are ignoring their owners is exactly the time the owners should not be ignoring the dogs.

Every time the subject of dog parks comes up, people talk about socializing. And every time I say this: "Socializing", for dogs, has absolutely nothing to do with a dog playing with other dogs. When you take your dog to the dog park, you are not socializing him. Socializing a dog means getting him accustomed to human society. Dogs don't "socialize" with other dogs. They may play with other dogs, but even that is pretty rare with adult dogs who don't know each other. Much of what people call "play" between dogs at dog parks is really not playing; I see a lot of what looks to me like "giving my dog a chance to exercise his dominance skills" going on.

I'm glad there are dog parks for the people whose dogs never have access to off-leash exercise. But IMO, they should be used for exercise, because there's no "socializing" going on there for anyone except the humans.

 

 

 

 

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Andrea, hopefully you know that my comments were not directed to any individual who posted before me; I think we were all posting at the same time and I didn't see any other comments beforehand.

I just know that "socialization" always comes up in dog park discussions, and since there are so many 1st time dog owners here on DK who don't understand the term, and refer to taking their puppies to daycare or to play with other dogs as "socialization", I always like to clarify what socializing a dog really means.